Just to show you how bad the Mavericks are, that’s the only team the Clippers beat this season. The Clips are 1-8 and were pretty much doomed from the start when Elton Brand deserted them in free agency and Maggette bolted for Golden State. Baron Davis was their key offseason acquisition, but he only signed with them to be back in LA where he grew up and to make some money. It’s pretty clear he didn’t consider much else otherwise he wouldn’t have signed with that garbage organization. And he had no idea that leaving the Warriors meant he would have a new coach with a different coaching style. And that as you could imagine has caused some problems. Quoting Baron:
“There’s definitely a disconnect there. I’ve never had so many plays in my entire career. I have to figure out how to fit more into his system, and [Dunleavy] has to figure out how to relax his grip.
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“It’s like every time we come down the floor, everyone is trying to figure out the play, and by the time I get it called out and everyone knows it, there is eight seconds left on the shot clock,” Davis said. “It takes away some of our instincts.”
As far as I see it, Davis has really only had one year where things worked — two years ago with the Warriors when they took out the Mavs in the playoffs. He’s a picky guy who only works in certain systems (the free-wielding kind), and butts heads with his coaches (not named Nelson). With four years left on his contract, I’m just wondering who will be the first to go: Baron Davis, or Mike Dunleavy. It’ll be hard to fire Dunleavy now that he’s GM of the team, too. Hope Baron’s open to an offseason trade.
